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Today, i fasted for a length of 24 hours in Solidarity with Samer Issawi and all other Palestinian Prisoners held under administrative detention in Israel.
The Campaign is worldwide and started 8pm local time and ends 8pm the next day.
No Food. Only Water.

Samer Issawi was arrested again on July 2012, has been held with no trial and has been on hunger strike for over 200 days.
He says, “Freedom or martyrdom.” And this strong phrase says it all.
For a man to have the strength and faith to do this is beyond my imagination.

In Islam, every year in Ramadan we fast. So i’ve dealt with fasting before. BUT, it is from sunrise to sunset- no food, no water. But in the end of the day you’re getting your daily dose of vitamins, proteins, and basically just everything you’re craving.

And when i was 12, i also did a 24 hour famine for Africa and we collected donations.

Only difference now is, Im 17 years old and my body has grown and so the whole experience of eating nothing for 24 hours is a surprise to me.
You begin to feel dizzy, and tend to forget some things and feel confused. And thats only for 24 hours.
I began to get migraines today morning but i refused to take medicine because i knew this is what the prisoners go through everyday.
And i started to think, that I’ve only been doing this from yesterday.
How on earth must Samer and the others feel? Everyday?

Heroes. That is the one word to describe them. Heroes.
May Allah bless them and give us their strength and faith.

When this whole campaign rose and i decided to join it, some people asked me, “well, why are you doing it?” “Whats the point?” “Who will it benefit?”

All i can say is….one action can change everything.
I dont care if the world doesnt know specifically, “Shaymaa fasted for 24 hours, etc etc etc.” I really dont. All i care about is that news of what we are doing ends up reaching Samer and the detainees. That they know we are supporting and encouraging them no matter what!

Because when you hurt a brother of mine, you are hurting me! And i will stand by Samer and the Palestinians until my dying day!

I mean think about it, how come we mention Samer Issawi’s name but not the others?
Thats right, because he decided to go on hunger strike and thats what caught our attention.
So by the world standing with him and doing the same, we are putting pressure on the Israeli government to release him and all prisoners held without charges!
Over 1000 people from over 45 countries are Standing with you, Samer!

You are a hero. A Champion. A Legend. May Allah bless you!

Only 35 minutes until our hunger strike ends. I am Hungry….but we are always hungry for Justice.

And if you’re a twitter user and want to show your support, hashtag #HungryForJustice, #FreeSamer and follow @samerissawi1

Last thing i want to mention is a huge thanks to everyone participating from all over the world! I am so proud of everyone of you even if all of you are strangers to me!

Together we will all make a change.

We should strive for justice and freedom Always,

Bless you all,

A hungry citizen

Oh And thats me with a sign saying ‘I stand in solidarity with Samer Issawi & All Palestinian Prisoners held under administrative detention in Israeli Prisons. #Hungry For Justice. “Your silence is killing them! Get hungry & save a live!” ‘ I did not write that quote, i got it from this guy.

Im sorry the picture is really unprofessional. But i had barely any equipment to do this, i barely found a piece of A4 paper and no one to take a photo of me so i had to take a meh one lol And if you’re wondering why i am smiling when its such a serious issue and im fasting and should be ‘tiered’ its because 24 hours is nothing compared to 200 days and so i do with a huge smile because i have no right to complain and feel sorry for myself 😀 (Y)

(First and foremost this post isn’t about one person specifically, its very general.)

They ask me why I wanted so badly to leave. Why I wanted to go back home and find my identity. Why I couldn’t stand being there a second longer. Why I couldn’t take being with them for further than that.

Because when we cry at night, we cry for very different reasons.
You’re crying about a lovers quarrel and puppy love or how your favorite fictional character from a t.v. show has just died.
I shed tears for all the cruel bloodshed that’s happening in many places around the world.
I cry because I am scared…I am terrified that I will never be good enough. That I will never be strong enough to make any sort of change or impact in this merciless world.

While you strut around taking photographs of a coffee at Starbuks, or a happy meal at McDonalds, my mind is too busy racing trying to plan a demonstration against these places and thinking of ways to convince people to stop spending even a penny towards weapons used against unarmed and innocent civilians in Palestine.

And though you have an Arabic background, you so proudly claim, “America is my home!” How? How can you admit to that when they are the reason that your ancestors have been robbed off of their true home?
And although I have never been to any one of the countries I am originally from, I will still proudly claim any day where I am from!

We speak so much about doing things and speaking out. And yet…when we are put in the situation and that position you left me and walked away choosing silence over virtue and basic morals.

Yes… I am sensitive and shed tears quite a lot but I will always have a sort of fierceness and pride that fuels my strength to continue doing whatever it is I can do.
But in my heart I have a sadness, that kind when you feel like something is squeezing your heart and you can’t seem to get rid of it. Because I know in the heart of my heart, that you could be wonderful and have a massive effect if you finally let yourself speak.

For too long….for too long I have been saying and using the excuse…. ‘But I’m only 15.’ ‘But I’m only 16’ ‘But I’m only 17.’ That’s not what the typical 11 year old of Syria nowadays and Gaza said when his parents were murdered and has to take upon raising his sibling alone.
When we were 12 we were too busy running around and having fun, creating good memories with our families completely oblivious to the fact that there is someone our age trying to run a family.

The thing is, I love you my friend, I really do. But I’m struggling to keep up on who is dating who and boybands and materialistic things. I’m struggling with finding more reasons to try and respect you when you won’t even spare a minute to look up a video on what is happening to your people rather than the latest mainstream song.

My friend, I am not trying to scold you, I am just trying to finally let yourself open your eyes.
That we’re as young right now in this moment as we will ever be. And our actions right now are what’s important. You underestimate how much effect you can cause if you take the initiative and first step towards helping those who need us.

It won’t always be easy. At even younger than I am now, I have been looked down upon from my own friends whenever I spoke of what is happening around the world and how we need to step up and raise our voices. I have been ridiculed and scoffed at when I spoke of revolutions.
I have made my opinions heard on any online site I could because it was the closest thing to taking action I could do from where I lived. And I have been humiliated publicly. I have been called the worst of names. But do you think that has stopped me?
Do you think that made me disappear and resort into becoming a ‘typical and ordinary teenager’?
I’m still here. I’m still writing. And I will continue on speaking my mind out and writing.

I have as far as I can remember loved speaking and saying the truth but I by no means am saying that I was always this way in specific. Growing up, I’ve had my share of rebel youth stages. It’s understandable.
And some might argue that even now, I have a sense of immaturity in me. But so what?
You can still hold on to both sides of your world.
You will still make jokes, and listen to music and watch the latest episode, but at least now you are also making a change.

“He who removes from a believer one of his difficulties of this world, Allah will remove one of his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and he who finds relief for a hard-pressed person, Allah will make things easy for him on the Day of Resurrection; he who covers up (the faults and sins) of a Muslim, Allah will cover up (his faults and sins) in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah supports His slave as long as the slave is supportive of his brother…” [Muslim]

Its a tragedy what happened a few days ago in Newtown, Connecticut. I can’t imagine sending my daughter, son, niece, nephew, sister, or brother to school only to get a call a few hours later that they have been killed.
My heart goes out to all the families of the adults and children who were murdered on this tragic day.

Here are the pictures of some of the children who were murdered (Pictures from Daily Mail):

And I know that these beautiful children are all Angels now.
I cannot even begin to understand what sort of sick man would want to hurt such young people? What reason could he have possibly had? None, at all.
So, when the mainstream media informs us that he was “Depressed, Deeply disturbed, etc, etc.”. The usual excuses they seem to give these days. Things we’ve all heard over and over again.
And i dont wanna pull out the race card, but it has gotten so obvious what the media and government is doing.
So yes I’ll say what lots of other people are saying too, if the murderer was not white, things would have been dealt with in another way.
But instead, because he is white, he is ‘psychologically damaged’ and therefore needs to be treated. Excuse me?

Just not so along ago this year, James Holmes also entered a theater and killed at least 12 people and left almost 59 injured. And again, what card do they use?
“You guys, he’s seriously distressed.” Give me a break.

Let me tell you something, the Word TERRORISTby definition means:A person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism or a person who terrorizes or frightens others.

So you tell me, do these people, and in specific this man, Adam Lanza, not deserve to be labelled as a Terrorist?
Because I am pretty sure when he walked in there, he caused terror to these people. I’m pretty sure, he didnt go in there and smile at all their pretty faces, and they all sang a nice Christmas song and then he shot them real quick. No. A teacher had to hide her students into a closet and took the bullet for them. And imagine the fear and terror they felt hiding in there not knowing if that gunshot would be the last noise they heard.
So spear me the Psychological excuses, he is a terrorist. No matter what race or ethnicity he is.

I am just so enraged at how this always seems to happen.

Another thing I’d really like to address is GUN CONTROL IN THE USA!Completely unacceptable. We’ve stayed quite for too long but now our voices need to be heard because the gun control in the US has..wait what gun control? There is no gun control anymore.
Go on google right now and type in ‘buy guns in America’ and look at the links it provides you with.
The Gun law that was passed so many years ago in the US gave almost everybody the right to carry or own a gun. Times change, and when the USA sees that its gotten out of hand and it being a superpower country, wouldnt that mean that they know they are RESPONSIBLE to change the law?
What, they have to wait till the people speak? Thats not how a government is supposed to run when such issues are concerned.
LAWS need to change when they aren’t reasonable anymore. And when the children of your country are dying because of reckless terrorists then it is your duty, Mr. President, to change these rules!
Now, i dont live in the US, nor have i ever been and nor do i plan on going, and i know i am an outsider but this seriously doesnt need a genius to think the exact same thing. Its all common sense.
Actually, today i was having a talk with a fellow New-Zealander and we got to speaking about this event and she told me that her husband owns a gun and thats only because he was a former police officer. Not only that, she informed us that it was a long process of interviewing people he knew well individually to see if he is fit of carrying a gun.
And i got to thinking, that is so true, over here in New-Zealand you barely hear of anyone owning a gun, really. And thats the beautiful thing about it here. They try to make it as safe as they can.
You can own a gun, but after a very long process when they have made sure that the candidate is fit to own a gun and they come and check that it is stored safely inside the house.

If the small Island of New-Zealand could do this, then SURELY the US can, unless they want it to remain this way. For people, especially now, after so many recent attacks, to walk around in fear and terror.
The US NEEDS to renew its Gun Laws.

Now another thing, from my previous post, you may have figured out that i am a strong Justice for Palestine Supporter. Because really anyone who encourages peace would be too.
And I Stumbled upon this.

Um What?‘No experience with death can be likened to that of a parents’ loss of their child. No crime is more heinous than the killing of a child.’

I dont think i have ever seen so much hypocrisy as this letter right here. Coming from the source that has been targeting children for the past countless years.
I cant even take this anymore. What happened in Newtown is the everyday life of what is happening in Palestine (AND sadly Syria now, too.)
And i am completely upset about what has happened to these beautiful children and brave adults but also, i just want all of you to remember the children of Gaza and how everyday their childhood is stolen. How everyday they are stolen from the ones who love them most.

When will there ever be peace? When will the time come where everyone will want peace?
When will everyone be treated equally?

And when will everyone finally begin to care?

Rest In peace to the beautiful children of Palestine, Syria and Newtown, Connecticut,